Wednesday, October 29, 1997

Halloween sites to visit for tricks and treats

By Doug Williamson / Abilene Reporter-News

Today's journey through the World Wide Web takes us to Halloween, the doctor's office, the dessert tray and an accounting lesson.

-- Guess what's on http://www.jack-o-lantern.com/. It is probably the quintessential pumpkin-carving site. You will learn about the history of the jack-o-lantern. Probably the best part of the site is the series of patterns you can print out. Put them on top of your pumpkin and start cutting. They range from "Let Freedom Shine" with the Statue of Liberty to "Alien Invasion" and "Flying Saucer."

-- I found "A Christian Perspective on Halloween" as a good look at the viewpoint that Halloween isn't a fun holiday for children. It is at http://www.cbn.org/cbn/teach/hal2.html/.

-- On the other side of the story, try http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/7134/Ha lloween/hall.htm/. It is a fun site that kiddos will really enjoy. The sounds of Halloween are particularly interesting.

-- If you are not feeling well, you might get some help from the Mayo Clinic online. When you visit http://www.mayo.ivi.com/, you may search the Mayo Health Oasis to find answers to your questions. This is one of the most extensive personal health sites I have found, and you won't be able to find one that is more authoritative.

-- If you are feeling well and have a craving for sweets, go to http://www.cyber-kitchen.com/pgdessrt.htm/ . It has links to all sorts of calorie-loaded sites like "Cheesecake World," "The Sugar and Spice Cooking Corner" and "Cookies! Cookies! Cookies!".

-- Do you understand financial statements? What do they really mean? Is the company good or not. Bob Elmore of UOL Publishing has a webpage with four easy lessons to teach us about financial statements. I took the class online and learned a lot. Find it at http://dev.uol.com/(tilde)elmore/javademo/ menu2.html/.